The Diffusion of the Social Structure of Modern Capitalism as a Reflection of the Post- Capitalist Tendencies Formation
Kolganov A.I.
Dr. Sci. (Econ.), Prof., Head of the Laboratory for Comparative Research of Socio- Economic Systems, Faculty of Economics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia onaglo@mail.ru
The research was carried out with the financial support of the Russian Science Foundation within the framework of scientific project No. 23-18-00508.
Kolganov A.I. The Diffusion of the Social Structure of Modern Capitalism as a Reflection of the Post- Capitalist Tendencies Formation. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2025. No 3. P. 132-144
The processes of erosion (diffusion) of the social structure of late capitalism are considered in the article as symptoms of the post-capitalist tendencies development. The structure of the main classes of capitalist society is undergoing various structural shifts. There is a fragmentation of the main classes into increasingly narrow socio- professional groups. At the same time, there is an intertwining of different class characteristics within the same socio- professional group, as well as the performance of different socio- class functions by the same persons. There are also emerging trends that affect many socio- professional groups, giving them certain common properties. In this sense, the formation of the precariat is characteristic is based on the acquisition by representatives of various socio- professional groups of such a common property as instability of employment and income. But the most fundamental shifts in the social structure and in the social position of various social strata of capitalist society are associated with the increasing role of creative activity. This trend is brought to life by the spread of modern sophisticated technologies, the growing knowledge of the intensity of production, and the need for capital to maintain a high intensity of innovation processes. Such shifts lead to the formation of contradictions between the conditions of a person’s self-realization in creative activity and those narrow limits in which this activity is subordinated to the interests of self-growth of capital. At the same time, a significant part of a person’s creative potential is used within the framework of the so-called “useless sector” – a significant part of what is called “creative industries” is focused not on the goals of human development, but on manipulating market and consumer behavior in order to get more effectively appropriate profits.